A protest was held today at the Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, organized by the Coalition of Civil Society for Good Governance in Nigeria, calling for an urgent investigation into serious allegations against Guaranty Trust Bank Limited (GTB). The bank, under the leadership of Segun Agbaje, is facing accusations of corruption, money laundering, unsolicited account openings, and more.

The Chief Convener of the coalition, Comrade Tijani Usman addressed the crowd, highlighting the pervasive issue of corruption that has plagued Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape since 1960. He emphasized the critical role of the banking sector in economic development and criticized the lack of action from regulatory and law enforcement agencies regarding GTB’s alleged infractions.

“The allegations against GTB are serious and cannot be ignored,” Usman stated. He urged the Nigeria Police Force to prioritize these claims and conduct a thorough investigation to hold accountable those responsible for any wrongdoing.

Participants in the protest voiced their concerns about recent operational failures at GTB, particularly a prolonged outage of the bank’s payment systems, which resulted in substantial losses for customers. The coalition called for the bank’s management to focus on resolving these critical issues instead of engaging in activities that undermine trust.

The protesters also appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to take a proactive stance in investigating the allegations and ensuring accountability within the banking sector.

As the coalition continues its peaceful demonstrations, they remain steadfast in their commitment to advocating for justice for affected customers and investors. This protest reflects a growing demand for greater transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s banking system, as civil society seeks to foster an environment where corruption is actively challenged and addressed.

The response from authorities to this protest may significantly impact the future governance of financial institutions in Nigeria, highlighting the necessity for reform and vigilance in the fight against corruption.

Nigeria has officially commenced the sales of crude oil and refined petroleum products in naira, the Federal Government has announced.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, on Saturday said that in line with the Federal Executive Council (FEC) directive, the sale of the products in naira commenced on October 1.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Director of the Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Manga.

“Following a meeting of the Implementation Committee, Chaired by the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy to conduct a post-commencement review of the Crude Oil and Refined Products Sales in Naira initiative, the commencement of this strategic initiative was affirmed by key stakeholders,” the statement read.

“The meeting brought together prominent figures, including the Honourable Minister of State, Petroleum (Oil), the Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the representative of the Chairman of Dangote Group, the Vice President of Dangote Group, and the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), led by the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Executive Vice President (Downstream).”

Manga noted that the strategic initiative and bold step taken by President Bola Tinubu-led administration is expected to have a lasting impact on Nigeria’s economy, enhancing growth, stability, and self-sufficiency.

He added that the country continues to navigate the complexities of global markets, and the strategic move positions Nigeria for success in the future.

The move comes about nine weeks after the FEC approved a proposal by Tinubu directing the NNPC to sell crude oil to Dangote Petroleum Refinery and other refineries in naira.

The Federal Government had said the sale of crude oil to the Dangote refinery and other refineries in naira would commence on October 1.

The policy aims to stabilise pump prices, potentially resulting in lower and more predictable fuel costs for consumers.

With transactions in Naira rather than dollars, the pressure on foreign exchange reserves would ease, leading to the stabilization of the dollar-Naira exchange rate and control inflation.

It would also increase the capacity of local refining that will in turn reduce dependence on imported fuel, saving billions of dollars that can be reinvested into other areas of the economy.

The government’s move would also boost local refining capacity to strengthen Nigeria’s energy security by ensuring a more reliable and self-sufficient fuel supply.

The Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, says while the prices of other food commodities have recorded a minimal drop in the last few days, market prices of beans have significantly gone up.

Rewane stated this on Channels Television’s Business Morning segment of Sunrise Daily breakfast programme on Thursday.

“We’ve seen onions come down sharply to N115,000, and rice has also come down to N110,000; it was as high as N120,000. The commodity that is surprising to everybody is beans; beans has gone out of storage and out of reach,” he said.

According to market checks by our correspondent, traders sold a paint rubber of beans for N13,000 and a derica of the commodity for N3,000 while a bag of beans goes for as high as N180,000.

The economist attributed the hike in beans’ prices to recent flooding which ravaged food-producing states like Borno, Bauchi, and Sokoto, amongst others.

“Flooding has destroyed a lot of goods,” Rewane said, adding that the costs of moving agricultural produce from farms to the markets have also gone up due to a recent hike in petrol prices — from around N600 to about N1,000 per litre.

The economist predicted that food inflation would increase in the coming weeks but was optimistic that duty waivers on expected imported commodities would moderate prices.

“For now, despite everything, we think that inflation will still increase. Food inflation in particular will increase; headline inflation will increase to 34% but this is only temporary. When the imported commodities that we are going to enjoy the duty waivers come into the country, those prices will start to reduce,” Rewane said.

On October 1, 2024. President Bola Tinubu said his administration is focused on restoring peace to the troubled parts of the North so that farmers displaced by bandits and kidnapping can return to their farmlands and increase food production.

“We expect to see a leap in food production and a downward spiral in food costs. I promise you, we shall not falter on this,” Tinubu said on Tuesday during his 2024 Anniversary Broadcast on the occasion of Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day Anniversary.